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Author
Topic: Statins and brain function.... (Read 5917 times)

I thought this may be important to people with HIV since a lot of you guys take statins to lower cholesterol. I went to a presentation at the university I teach at a few years back by the Physiology department head. It was called "Statins: The great mind robber".

For those of us dealing with hyperlipidemia as a result of our meds, this type of hypothesis is not helpful.

But it does beg the question: Which would you prefer? Reduced brain function caused by statins needed to offset the hyperlipidemia caused by your ARV therapy, or to eschew the ARV therapy and develop AIDS-related dementia?

Yes, you would lose brain function during a stroke. I do not know where I said that or where in the article it said that you wouldn't loose brain function after a stroke. So maybe someone would like to point out to me where I said that, please.Just because something protects against something via one mechanism, doesn't mean it can't cause it or exasperate it via another mechanism.

For those of us dealing with hyperlipidemia as a result of our meds, this type of hypothesis is not helpful.

But it does beg the question: Which would you prefer? Reduced brain function caused by statins needed to offset the hyperlipidemia caused by your ARV therapy, or to eschew the ARV therapy and develop AIDS-related dementia?

I would rather be forgetful than be a vegetable.

The best thing hopefully would be for ARVs to get to the point where they no longer raise lipids to the degree that they do. Once Norvir becomes obsolete I imagine it would be much less of a problem, although I don't know to what degree.

I am becoming uncomfortable with you posting things like this. "may reduce brain function" "statins: the great mind robber" Please respect those that are positive and living with this disease.

Where is the disrespect? If I tell a person with Rheumatoid Arthritis that their TNF-alpha blocker may increase the risk of serious infection, is that disrespectful? I don't think so. It is the truth. The truth always wins out, even if we don't like to hear it. Would you rather not know and not make an informed decision?This may be something that people on statins may want to consider. They may choose to go on another lipid lowering therapy that doesn't inhibit the production of cholesterol in the brain. Statins are not the only option for lowering lipids.

For those of us dealing with hyperlipidemia as a result of our meds, this type of hypothesis is not helpful.

But it does beg the question: Which would you prefer? Reduced brain function caused by statins needed to offset the hyperlipidemia caused by your ARV therapy, or to eschew the ARV therapy and develop AIDS-related dementia?

Dearest there is an alarming trend to all your posts. I hate to say it but it seems like you are attempting to overstate the side affects of ARVs in order to justify your grandson's suicide. Yes the side affects can be harsh on our bodies but when you are faced with the very real possibility of death and scary OIs you have NO choice. You suck it up or proceed down the slippery slope of death. I do think you underestimate peoples ability to assimilate and adapt to chronic side affects. You will find many well adjusted people on this very website who have been taking ARVs since the dark days of the 90s who continue to carry on with their lives as normal or close to normal as possible and have no intention of giving up. If you have to pop 15 Imodiums per day or take statin pills then so be it. If it's going to keep me out of the hospital that's what counts. No ones discounting the fact that the drugs can be improved. I intend to hang around as long as possible even if the ARVs "robe" me of my brain function and turn me into a mushroom. There are fates much worse.

sharkdiver said that telling people who need to take statins that it may damage their brain is disrespectul. I don't agree. I posted this about STATIN drugs and about how some scientists suggest they may decreae brain function. I have never had to take statins, but if I was I would want to know information like this. It would maybe be something I would bring up with my doctor. Maybe I would consider switching to another class of cholesterol lowering drugs.

Should a person with breast cancer not be told that they are going to take a medication that may cause them to loose all of their hair? Would it be disrespectful to tell someone the truth about the risks of a treatment? I am sorry, but I just don't understand that line of thinking. I don't understand the desire to be willfully ignorant and to attack those who want to show me information that may or MAY NOT be useful to me.

I have received a few PMs from people who were happy I posted this and said they would talk to their doctors about the possible risks involved. Better to be safe then sorry I always say.

sharkdiver said that telling people who need to take statins that it may damage their brain is disrespectul. I don't agree. I posted this about STATIN drugs and about how some scientists suggest they may decreae brain function. I have never had to take statins, but if I was I would want to know information like this. It would maybe be something I would bring up with my doctor. Maybe I would consider switching to another class of cholesterol lowering drugs.

Should a person with breast cancer not be told that they are going to take a medication that may cause them to loose all of their hair? Would it be disrespectful to tell someone the truth about the risks of a treatment? I am sorry, but I just don't understand that line of thinking. I don't understand the desire to be willfully ignorant and to attack those who want to show me information that may or MAY NOT be useful to me.

I have received a few PMs from people who were happy I posted this and said they would talk to their doctors about the possible risks involved. Better to be safe then sorry I always say.

umm no I did not say. No it is not an issue of being willfully ignorant.